The North Face Router vs. Arc'Teryx Arro 22

Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.

The North Face Router

Front facing view of the The North Face Router
Capacity40 L
Weight1.5 kg
Dimensions54×35.6×26.7 cm
Airline fit3%
Price$149

Feature by feature

The North Face RouterFeatureArc'Teryx Arro 22
Storage
N Compression N
None Expanded Capacity None
4 Opening 4
N Passport N
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
Y Hip Belt Y
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 15in
2 Main Compartments 1
Y Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
2 Water Bottle Holder 2
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
500D Nylon Oxford Slub, 420 D Nylon, 210D Cordura® Nylon Ripstop1260-denier Invista Ballistic Superpack nylon

Arc'Teryx Arro 22

Front facing view of the Arc'Teryx Arro 22
Capacity22 L
Weight0 kg
Dimensions55×30×25 cm
Airline fit39%
Price$180

Key differences between the The North Face Router and Arc'Teryx Arro 22

Both have: backpack straps, hip belt, sternum strap, laptop sleeve, water bottle pockets, water resistant.

Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on

We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 6 accept both. 0 accept only the The North Face Router, and 67 accept only the Arc'Teryx Arro 22.

Only the Arc'Teryx Arro 22 fits

Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Astana, Air Caraibes, Air Europa, Air France, Air India, Air Koryo, Air Mauritius, Air Nostrum, Air Tahiti Nui, All Nipon Airways, ANA, Atlas Global, Azul Linhas, Boliviana de Aviacion, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, China Southern, Conviasa, Copa Airlines, Croatia Air, Cubana de Aviacion, Czech Airlines, EL AL, Finnair, Frontier Airlines, Gol Linhas Aereas, Hainan Airlines, Iberia, Indigo, Interjet, Iran Air, Iran Aseman Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet2, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Kuwait Air, LATAM , Middle East Airlines, Monarch Airlines, Onur Air, Peach, PenAir, Philippine Airlines, Royal Air Morocco, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, SilkAir, Silver Airways, Singapore Airlines, Sky Airlines, Southwest Airlines, SpiceJet, Spirit Airlines, TAAG Angola, TAM Airlines, Thai Airways, Travel Service Airlines, Ural Airlines, Uzbekistan Air, WOW Airlines.

The North Face Router vs. Arc'Teryx Arro 22: which should you pack?

The The North Face Router carries 18L more than the Arc'Teryx Arro 22 (40L vs. 22L), and the two are closely matched on weight. For carry-on flexibility, the Arc'Teryx Arro 22 fits 39% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the The North Face Router; if you want to travel lighter, the The North Face Router is the better call.